


The Proposal

by TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Office AU [111]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Boss/Employee Relationship, Human, Light Angst, Marriage Contracts, Marriage Proposal, Marriage of Convenience, Office, Serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4799396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Megatron has a proposition for his secretary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Proposal

“I need an heir.”  
  
Bombrush paused, looking up from the document he had been examining with the CEO. He just looked at him, his expression calm and quite serious. He raised an eyebrow, not sure what the other was getting at.  
  
“I see. What brings this up?”   
  
“You and Soundwave had a child two years ago. It simply reminds me that I will not live forever and that eventually, I will need someone I can trust to take over the company. I rather have this remain in my family, which means I need to have an heir to eventually take over.”  
  
Bombrush slowly nodded. While Megatron’s decision on the matter was all right, how was he going to even get an heir? He didn’t see Megatron going out and adopting a child. It wasn’t like he was exactly the fatherly type. Of course, some adoption centers were greedy enough to basically sell a child to people.   
  
He huffed, rubbing his eyes. “Well… How do you expect to get one?”  
  
“Through marriage.”  
  
The answer was so sudden and a bit unexpected that Bombrush just burst out laughing. Megatron’s eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. Why was that so funny to the older man?   
  
“What?” he demanded.  
  
Bombrush calmed himself down, though he couldn’t keep down his smiling. He just simply couldn’t imagine Megatron being married to anyone! When they had been younger, Megatron had expressed he didn’t want to marry anyone, which was why he kept Starscream around to relieve his sexual frustrations.  
  
Speaking of Starscream… How was he going to handle Megatron’s choice? The relationship between them wasn’t love, yes, but Starscream was the jealous type. Anything that took Megatron’s attention away from him became a target of his. He was a persistent little bitch, Bombrush would give him that much.   
  
Clearing his throat, he said, “You aren’t exactly the marrying type. And shouldn’t you be worried about what Starscream has to say about all of this? You may not be lovers, but you of all people know how he gets.”  
  
“Starscream knew from the very beginning that I would eventually leave him for a woman for the sake of marriage. And it doesn’t matter if I’m not the ‘marrying type;’ I need an heir and that is the way to get a child.”   
  
“Except for the fact that you don’t trust anyone, let alone women. The only woman I know of you trusting is Soundwave, but she’s mine and I would kill you if you tried to do anything to her.”  
  
Megatron rolled his eyes, but said nothing of the older man’s possessive nature. He was possessive himself, but he wouldn’t voice that. It wasn’t like Bombrush didn’t know though.   
  
“So where exactly are you going to find a wife?” Bombrush inquired, folding his arms across his chest as he smirked down at the other. “It isn’t like you can just go to down to the Macy’s and look in the ‘wife’ section to find one.”  
  
Megatron glared at him, clearly not enjoying how the other was talking to him like a child. He knew it was just because Bombrush was older, but still. He was his superior. But they were also friends, so it did give the other more leeway.   
  
“There is a reason why they still have marriage interviews.”  
  
“For someone like you, I think you’re better off with one of those mail-order brides from China.”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Bombrush just chuckled. Well, he wished the man all the best of luck in his search. Besides, most people probably wondered why he hadn’t been married yet. Megatron was already forty-five years old. He should have had a wife by now. Oh well, he was just doing things a little late.   
  
Hopefully, he could find a woman who he could not only trust, but a woman who could meet his demands. Whoever he picked would have to have the patience of a goddess. Bombrush huffed, wishing whatever woman he picked luck too. 

* * *

“My brother is having surgery.”  
  
Megatron paused, slowly looking up at the woman standing before his desk. She just looked up at him with a blank, serious expression as he just stared back at her. It was rare for Eclipse, his secretary, to come to him about anything going on in her personal life. While they had known each other for a long time and they trusted each other, they simply didn’t have a lot of time to chat about their personal lives.  
  
Not that they didn’t know anything about each other. Before he had hired her, he had done a complete background check on her. He knew where she had come from, who her family was, what her grades were in high school and in college, who she had worked for, and anything else he had wanted to know about her. He wanted to make sure that there wasn’t anything suspicious about her.  
  
As it turned out, she had been an excellent student and a wonderful employee at all previous jobs she had had before she became his secretary. She came from a low middle class family, her being the bread-winner of the household. She lived with her younger sister, who was now in high school, her older brother, who worked at a daycare center, and her mother, who had a weak constitution and was always sick, making her unable to work. Her father had apparently run off somewhere to never be seen again, but Eclipse never seemed to mind too much on that fact.   
  
Eclipse was also a kind woman, a trustworthy woman. Not to mention she was capable with her job and very level-headed. Because of this, he called her a friend and he told her a little bit about him as well. Not much, just simply that he was an orphan and had grown up incredibly poor during his rather horrid childhood.   
  
It had been eleven years since he had first met and hired her. And never once had she ever approached him with a personal matter like this before.  
  
He put down his pen. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.   
  
“Thank you for your condolences.”  
  
She didn’t want to do this, but she had no other choice. Her brother had gotten into a major car accident and the doctors were saying he needed a lung transplant. Her insurance didn’t cover it and she had no ways of paying off a bank loan alone.   
  
Also, before the accident, they had just been talking about putting their mother into a home where she could be taken care of better. Eclipse was only getting to be busier while her younger sister was getting ready to go to school soon. Now with her brother in the hospital…   
  
She had to get help from someone. And she had only come to Megatron as a very last resort. She didn’t want to take advantage of his trust or him, but she needed help… Would he understand? Surely he would… But would he do anything about it? She didn’t know, but she had to chance it.   
  
She took another deep breath before starting up again. “President… I… I need your help.”  
  
Megatron said nothing at first, just staring at her. His help? He was growing curious as to what she needed, considering this was the first time she had ever approached him about something like this. He put his elbows on the desk, leaning forward a bit and intertwining his fingers as he gently rested his chin on them.  
  
“Go on.”  
  
Eclipse felt her heart racing a mile per minute. But she kept a straight and calm face, standing up straight with her hands at her front.   
  
“As you are aware… My family isn’t well off,” she said carefully. “My mother is sickly and my brother and I are the only ones who work while our sister is planning to attend college out of state due to a full-ride scholarship she was offered.”  
  
When Megatron remained silent, she continued. “We were planning to put our mother in a home, which is more expensive, but they will take better care of her than me and my siblings could. Now, with my brother needing surgery and time off, I will be the only one bringing in money for the time being.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow. Oh… She needed money. Why was she coming to him? He wasn’t a bank… Then again, he knew how banks could be with people, especially when it came to loans.   
  
“And… you need money,” he said.  
  
She slowly nodded, swallowing the thick and painful lump in her throat. “President… I would never come to you about such a matter if I really didn’t need the money. You’re the last person I can turn to. I can’t go to the bank and my insurance won’t cover my brother’s surgery.”   
  
“Eclipse, I’m your employer. Should you really be asking me of all people for money?”  
  
She felt her hands start to shake. He wasn’t going to help her. She could just tell by the tone in his voice. He wouldn’t help. She would have to get the money elsewhere. Swallowing, she forced herself not to cry. This was her last chance. Now she would have to find some other way to get money. Some underground way…  
  
“You’re right, I apologize,” she said, voice crackling a little. “That was highly unprofessional of me.”  
  
Megatron huffed at the sound of her voice starting to break. He really hoped she wasn’t about to start crying. He wasn’t good with tears. In fact, it annoyed him for the most part. Sometimes he sympathized, but he didn’t know exactly what to do or say to get someone to stop crying. If anything, he usually made things worse.   
  
Didn’t she have a lover or a good rich or well-off friend she could go to about this? Someone who would be more suitable to help her? He wasn’t saying he didn’t want to help her, but-  
  
He paused, looking up at her again. A lover. A husband. He recalled the conversation he had with Bombrush just last week. He was still in the middle of searching for a wife to bare him an heir to take over the company.   
  
He studied over her for a good solid minute. Eclipse… was young. Capable in her work. Intelligent and caring. She was also incredibly pretty. Not to mention mature… And he respected her for her person and trusted her. He knew it was the same for her.   
  
Why had he not thought of her before?  
  
“Eclipse.”  
  
The woman stiffened at the sound of her name, but straightened up and looked at him.   
  
“How old are you?”  
  
“I’m thirty-three.”  
  
A good age for her to already be married. Not to mention that most women had children by that age. Nowadays, women were marrying and having children sometimes even younger than that.   
  
“And… are you seeing anyone?”  
  
She paused for a moment, eyeing him. Why would he be considered about her relationship status? But he was getting somewhere with this, so she cautiously followed into it. “No.”  
  
“Is there anyone you wish to have a relationship with?”  
  
She shook her head.  
  
He nodded, leaning back in his seat as he let his hands fall onto the desk. “Eclipse… I have a proposal for you that will benefit us both.”  
  
Eclipse blinked, a bit shocked. Was he… going to help her? Though she didn’t understand as to how helping her would benefit him as well… She remained silent for now, giving him a single nod and allowing him to continue.  
  
“Allow me to recap your current situation. You need money to finance your brother’s surgery, put and keep your mother in a home, and help your sister with anything she may need for college, as well as keep up with your own personal payments.”  
  
“Yes, that is correct.”  
  
He nodded. “Eclipse… What do you think of me?”  
  
The question caught her off guard. “… Sir?”  
  
“What do you think of me? And not as your boss. I mean on a more personal level.” When she still remained confused, he let out an annoyed huff. “I mean, what do you think of me as a man?”   
  
What on Earth was he even getting at?! But she gave a small breath and sighed. “Well… I think you’re an incredibly intelligent man. Very ambiguous and good with getting people to respect you… Though I will admit you can a bit aggressive at times and curse too much. But overall, I respect you as a man and I trust you in every way possible.”  
  
Megatron laughed once when she confessed to his flaws. So he wasn’t perfect – it wasn’t like there was anyone who was. But he wasn’t going to get into that. She had said that she trusted him and that was all he wanted to hear.  
  
“I respect you as a woman and trust you as well,” he said.  
  
“Thank you,” she said, desperately wanting to know about his proposal. “President… The proposal you mentioned… What-?”  
  
“As I’m sure you are aware, I’m getting older,” he said, slowly pushing back his chair and rising to his feet. “I can’t run this company forever and I rather have an heir to run this rather than just some random idiot.”  
  
Her eyes widened as he drew closer, making her take a step back. “President?”  
  
Seeing her retreat, he widened his strides a bit and gently rested a hand on her stiff shoulder. She was obviously alarmed by his behavior, but she was a patient woman. When he explained himself, it would all make sense in due time.   
  
“This is my proposal,” he said, making sure she was looking straight at him. “Marry me and bear me a child and I will take care of every financial burden you have.”   
  
Eclipse eyes widened, mouth falling open. The hand on her shoulder suddenly felt much heavier than it was as she tried to make sense of this. At first, she thought she didn’t hear him correctly. That it was a joke. That he was simply messing with her like he would sometimes just to get a good laugh. But he just continued to stare down, expression hard and serious.   
  
Marriage?! Child?! And why would he be asking her this?! Didn’t he want to marry someone with power?! She practically came from nothing! She was just his secretary… What made him think it was a good choice to settle on her?! She didn’t understand.  
  
And this was the proposal that would benefit them both? How?! It only seemed that it would cause even more problems than fix them. Where was his logic in all of this?!  
  
“Pr-President…” she stammered, trying to make sense of what he had just said. “I… Marriage… What…?”  
  
Seeing her at a loss for words, Megatron huffed and took his hand from her shoulder. “I’m surprised to see you flustered, Eclipse. It’s rare for you to be like this.”  
  
She just stared at him.  
  
Seeing her in a shock stupor, he knew he better explained himself before she possibly collapsed. He didn’t want to deal with that. Or possibly be blamed for assault when he did nothing of the sort. Not to say she would blame him, but people were always talking about him.   
  
“You fit my expectations,” he began, slowly starting to circle around her.  
  
She tensed as she was stalked, like prey with a predator enclosing on her. But she remained silent and allowed him to continue.   
  
“Eclipse, I desire a wife that I can trust. And I trust you. I respect you. I also find you to be incredibly capable and intelligent in both your work and your person. You are very responsible both at the office and in your person life.”   
  
He scoped over her once more, now looking at her physical. He nodded to himself and added, “You’re also young and attractive. You will make a good wife and a good mother.”  
  
Eclipse felt her cheeks redden a bit at the compliment to her appearance, but kept a composed face. She couldn’t stop herself from gasping though when both of his hands landed on her shoulders, Megatron chest nearly touching her back.   
  
“If you agree to be my wife and bear me a child who will take over this company, I promise to take care of your financial troubles,” he swore. “Your family will be taken care of. You will no longer have to worry about them.”  
  
Eclipse felt everything around her disappear, her and the hands on her shoulders the only thing existing. If she married Megatron and bore him a child… Her family would be taken care of. She wouldn’t have to worry about her brother’s surgery. She would no longer have to worry about her mother at home when she was working. Her brother could leave home ad live his own life. Her sister would never have to worry…  
  
Could she do it though? Could she just simply sacrifice her being to Megatron? It wasn’t as if she hated him… And she did trust him. But this was not a marriage. This was a contract. A binding agreement. She had hoped one day she would find someone she loved and marry them…    
  
As the world started coming back in view again, Eclipse knew. Her family was more important than her childish wants. She could do it. She would do it. For her family.  
  
“I… I will agree to these terms.”  
  
Megatron smirked, taking his hands away from her and going over to his desk.  
  
“But I have a condition.”  
  
The CEO paused and looked back over at her. He raised an eyebrow. “A condition? I don’t think you’re in the position to make conditions with me.”  
  
“My family is very traditional,” she explained, stepping up closer to him. “While I said I would marry you so you could take care of my financial burdens, you must understand that I have conditions to the marriage. I can’t have my family thinking I did to save them.”  
  
Megatron huffed. She had a valid argument… But he would have to hear what these so-called conditions were. He nodded, giving her permission to continue.  
  
“You must meet my mother and my family,” she said. “And there must be a small wedding ceremony. That is all I ask. I will pay for the ceremony myself if I must, but there has to be one.”  
  
He rolled his eyes. “Such a simple matter…”  
  
“My mother is a simple woman,” she said, frowning a bit. “While to you this is trivial, this would mean a lot to my mother. We haven’t had much happiness and she has always wanted to see me marry off and in a wedding dress. I want to please my mother.”  
  
When he said nothing, she grew aggravated.   
  
“Please, President, this is all I ask. I will do whatever you want as your wife. I will bear you a child. I will bear you hundreds of children if I have to! I will let you do whatever you wish to me – just please let me do this for my mother!”  
  
He was surprised to see how worked up she was getting over this. He couldn’t truly understand it, because he had never had any parental figure to please in his youth. He was an orphan – he only looked out for himself and did what pleased him. He still did that now for the most part.   
  
He did understand though how… important marriage could be to people. And he knew how most mothers always envisioned their children getting married, especially their daughters and the white gowns and everything…  
  
He huffed. “Very well. I will meet your family and allow a small wedding. A  _very_  small one, mind you.”  
  
Eclipse let out a relieved breath and gave a small smile. “Thank you, President.” Then she straightened up as he sat down again, knowing that she needed to move past what they had just discussed. She couldn’t dwell on it while she was at work.  
  
“The documents you requested from Bennett’s company just came in a while ago, sir. I sent them to Shockwave to look over and analyze before I handed them to you.”  
  
“Good. Have them sent to Soundwave when he’s finished so she may document it and send me a report. Also-” he held out a manila folder to her “- bring these down to the credit department. Make sure Cyclonus gets them.”  
  
“Of course,” she said as she walked over to him and took the folder. “Will that be all for now, President?”  
  
“Yes. You may go.”  
  
She nodded and walked out of the room, ignoring the fact that was Megatron watching her figure retreat as she closed the door behind her.   
  
She stood there for a few solid moments, looking down at the folder in her hands. She had just gotten… engaged, in a sense. She was to marry Megatron. Her family would be taken care of through this marriage. And she was to have his child.   
  
She took a deep breath and walked forward. There was so much to think about now. And she would have to lie to her mother. She couldn’t let her know that she had done this to relieve them of financial burden. She had to make her and her family believe that she was in a loving relationship with her boss…  
  
She could do this. She knew she could.  
  
But still.   
  
Primus help her.


End file.
